Takagi named V-Varen Nagasaki coach

NAGASAKI – Former Japan striker Takuya Takagi will coach promoted J.League second division side V-Varen Nagasaki next season, the team announced on Thursday.

Nagasaki won the Japan Football League, the de facto third division, this year to book a spot in J2 for 2013. The 45-year-old Takagi, a Nagasaki native, managed Roasso Kumamoto of J2 the last two seasons and has been at the helm of Yokohama FC as well as Tokyo Verdy.

“It’s a great pleasure to be returning to my hometown, Nagasaki, as manager,” Takagi said in a statement. “At the same time, I feel a great sense of responsibility. I hope we can become a source of hope and dreams for the people of Nagasaki Prefecture.”

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